A very interesting device from the 17th century: what is it?

Hello ATS!

At one time, when I was interested in antiques, I created the world's largest private museum of samovars in the world, which is located in the Russian city of Saratov. I created an exhibition and published excellent (in leather and gold embossed) catalogs of the museum with photographs and descriptions. In the museum with more than 1000 exhibits, various water heating devices from all over the world and from different times were described and demonstrated. Therefore, I was interested in information about an extremely rare device that I came across on the Internet. I hasten to share it with you.

Yes, this particular thing was made in Saxony around 1649, but as for everything else... that's not entirely true.



Before us is a camping dryer-stove-thermos-battery-saucepan-samovar-multi-cooker.



People were very familiar with its structure back in ancient Rome. True, then it was a military field kitchen for commanders, the most noble and rich people of that time. But this doesn’t change anything - the device was already in use then, just read Jaeger.

How?

Very simple!

The servants set up a camp, set up tents for the masters, wooden or even mosaic floors, and lit a fire outside for themselves. The largest coals were pulled out of the fire and sent into the furnace.

What it was: two unfastening halves. One half was a double vessel for broth (soup) and tea or herbal drink. The second half was a container for coals, on which the upper, detachable part was placed; it was a frying pan in which someone could be fried or heated.

After cooking, the double vessels were filled with water, and the brazier was again filled with coals. This provided excellent heating at night, and besides, it was possible to dry washed or wet clothes over the stove (since there was no smoke). It could be hung in the center of a tent, wagon, carriage, or tied to a horse.

The furnace itself was made of the finest weapons-grade steel, fastened with rivets, and everything was covered with a layer of tin on top. In the morning, coals could again be collected from the fire, which provided hot drink at almost any time. Such a stove weighed 5.5 pounds, which in our metric system is 2.5 kilograms.

Agree, even today such a stove does not look outdated, and its functionality would be the envy of many modern tourists and travelers.

Especially if you read my post on LiveJournal at the link (in Russian, but I’m sure you can translate it into English) and evaluate this device based on the information I provide.

Thank you!

What an intricately decorated, amasing multi facitited device. Thanks for sharing it.

a reply to: aliensanonymous

Thank you. I have seen many similar devices, but this one struck me with its versatility and rarity)))

a reply to: RussianTroll
That is a piece of kit many survival/prepper types would use today.

Great design and style.

You said it weighs about 2.5 kg-so im guessing its pretty small-maybe soccer ball sized?
It looks scaleable as well for bigger groups of travellers.

a reply to: RussianTroll

Nice to see you back, RussianTroll. I feared we had lost you.

originally posted by: AwakeNotWoke
a reply to: RussianTroll

Nice to see you back, RussianTroll. I feared we had lost you.

Thank you, I'm alive and with you

Interesting device. Thank you for this good thread and fun change of pace.

And welcome back, even tho' weve not met. Nice to meet you now.

originally posted by: MoreCoyoteAngels
Interesting device. Thank you for this good thread and fun change of pace.

And welcome back, even tho' weve not met. Nice to meet you now.

Hello! The more friends, the better for everyone)))

Glad to see you back, as interesting as always.

Love that, RT.

I need one.

Another great thread. Glad to have you back around.

a reply to: RussianTroll

its surely an early Air fryer, everyone loves a crispy chip

a reply to: RussianTroll
So in the 1600's they had screw-on-lids to these high-class military canteens? Pretty amazing. Now this makes me wonder where the modern word of "canteen" comes from in its usage as a military place for soldiers to eat and relax.

a reply to: RussianTroll

From your OP. "it was a frying pan in which someone could be fried or heated. "

Must have been a really big frying pan.

I have seen a few things like that over the years, but never knew what they were used for. They were not as elaborate as this one is. I thought maybe they burned incense or fragrant wood in them to make things smell better from what the guy at that small museum told me. But It seemed kind of big for that purpose. I also figured it might have been to keep something heated in the fireplace. If this is like the one I have seen, it was about twelve to fifteen inches round and made of some sort of tarnished metal. I thought it stood on a table or fireplace mantle and the one I saw was missing the top that screwed onto the thing, so I thought the threads were for who knows what. Never even crossed my mind that the top could be used to hang it. I never actually lifted that thing I saw, I thought it looked pretty heavy. The thing I saw was in a museum in the Upper Peninsula or Wisconsin I think, just a small town museum, probably something someone gave to them.

This one you posted is way fancier than the one I saw, and it might not actually be the same thing. The guy at the museum was not sure what it was either, they had it because it was interesting looking. The other thing similar I saw was in some antique shop, but I do not think that was the same thing, it was only about six inches in diameter.

Nice of you to share this info. Now it will keep me up tonight trying to figure out where I saw that thing.

I'm continually impressed with the quality of metalwork from the Renaissance onward. Very handy and useful device. I'm surprised someone isn't making a modern variant though I've seen similar solar gadgets.

a reply to: RussianTroll

Nice bit of kit. Wouldn't mind one nowadays while camping. That would be flash. Cheers for the info,

Kind regards,

Bally